Dialysis for the treatment of patients after kidney failure was carried out successfully for the first time in the 1940s. Dialysis membranes have advanced rapidly since then. In particular, it was possible to achieve miniaturization from the rotating-drum kidney to the plate dialyzer and on to today's modern hollow-fibre dialyzer.
Nowadays membranes for hollow-fibre dialyzers are produced on an industrial scale in large numbers and in high, reproducible quality; they are generally offered as disposable systems in the form of dialysis membrane modules. In particular, nano-controlled spinning technologies have resulted in a considerable improvement. Dialysis membranes made of plastics are now the standard for low-cost therapy. Further development of dialysis membranes aim to approach the natural function of the glomerular membrane of the human kidney even further so as to ensure optimum treatment in the event of renal insufficiency or complete renal failure in order to compensate for the lack of kidneys as a result of surgery or trauma.
In the advancement of membranes suitable for dialysis, the focus is on a high degree of biocompatibility and high or configurable water permeability, while at the same time achieving the therapeutically desired separation effect. From the clinical point of view, dialysis treatment continues to be of growing importance since the number of patients to be treated worldwide is increasing constantly, firstly as a result of an ageing population and secondly due to the economic possibilities and availability of treatment for renal insufficiency, which will likewise increase in the developing countries in the future.